The Underlying Structure of Combinations

[Peccavimus]

I'm reading Sylvia's Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle right now, and she lists combinations. I'm having a hard time seeing the difference between X + Y and Y + X. Is there a grammar of combinations, some underlying rule about how to read them?

For example, Cross + Clover = relief from pain, while Clover + Cross = religious devotion. Why can't Cross + Clover mean religious devotion, and Clover + Cross mean relief from pain?

What is the underlying principle of these combinations, or do I just need to memorize 1,260 keywords?

*Sometimes* it seems that X indicates a general class of things, and Y narrows it, so "Tower + Cross = church" makes sense. But why then does Cross + Tower = hospital? Shouldn't it be "a kind of pain or grief" that is characterized by "authority and institutions"? So, oppression, imprisonment, the DMV.

Other times, it appears to be temporal: Cross + Stork is "things are bad, then they get better," which makes sense.

I'd really like to figure out some set of general principles I could apply. I'm not too keen on doing a factor analysis of twelve hundred tokens, but it's better than rote memorization. Anyone able to offer some insight?

 

[Golden Moon]

The way i've been reading the LeNormand is by mixing the meanings of each cards for example... Horseman + Cross = Bad news on the way. I've just been reading them individualy like I would read tarot cards.

 

[Ashtaroot]

Cross + Clover = relief from pain/ yes Cross is before the clover so that make sense
Clover + Cross = religious devotion/ again yes also could be many things as loss or some sort of end of a luck streak etc ...

The book is meant as a guide or a base, that is from the authors many years of experience and her work with Lenormand.

So use the guide go through the Lenormand threads here then let it go and go on your own use your own intuition which to the looks of it you got it.

Your Cross+Tower interp/ yes it is possible, it all depends on you when you are doing the live reading and your intuition on which of these answers are the right ones., so don't get hangup on the formula and just go through it
I don't think you should memorize all combinations cause when you practice you will have your own combinations IMO.

The book is a great base, Sylvie done a geat job it help put you on the right steps but after that you need to fly

Practice practice practice practice practice practice
better than memorizing, they have a great monthly Lenormand reading circle here, you can start here.

Enjoy

 

[rif]

I'm reading Sylvia's Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle right now, and she lists combinations. I'm having a hard time seeing the difference between X + Y and Y + X. Is there a grammar of combinations, some underlying rule about how to read them?

More of a guideline.

For example, Cross + Clover = relief from pain, while Clover + Cross = religious devotion. Why can't Cross + Clover mean religious devotion, and Clover + Cross mean relief from pain?

Think of it as the first card being a subject, the second being a modifier. This holds true no matter whose methods you use to read Lenormand (assuming you're learning from a tradition, that is). I always think of it as being related to European language grammatical structure.

There's a secondary "rule" with Sylvie's method where the time factors in, that is, we move from left to right.

Cross + Clover means hardship followed by happiness or a positive opportunity (depending on how you read clover). Cross is the subject, which is a hardship. Clover would be a modifer, or in this example, is an outcome (which is sort of a modifier over time). So we start with hardship and move to a positive circumstance, which could be interpreted as relief from pain.

Clover + Cross: well, I'm not sure where the devotion comes from exactly, unless we consider the Clover to be positive circumstances, modified by Cross to become religious positive circumstances.

What is the underlying principle of these combinations, or do I just need to memorize 1,260 keywords?

Dear lord no! Think of these samples as just that, samples of how cards might combine. It's not a comprehensive list. You'll find if you use these two rules, you can more often than not figure out how Sylvie got her list.

A friend and I rather thoroughly explored this topic, and you'll find the above to generally be true. It's not perfect; that's where the human factor and intuition or personal meaning comes into play, and some of these likely make perfect sense to Sylvie but won't to you or I.

Birds and Cross was one that I had a hard time grasping the order, because the opposite of what Sylvie wrote for these pairs was what made sense to me. But in talking through it with my friend I got where she was coming from.

If you work through the virtual workshop, it will help your understanding too.

*Sometimes* it seems that X indicates a general class of things, and Y narrows it, so "Tower + Cross = church" makes sense. But why then does Cross + Tower = hospital? Shouldn't it be "a kind of pain or grief" that is characterized by "authority and institutions"? So, oppression, imprisonment, the DMV.

You're right and that is where sometimes quirks come in. I suppose this could be pain and suffering followed by an institution, so hospital makes sense if we keep in mind the time rule. I don't think DMV would fit though.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some examples in the book seem to show some of the modern meanings, at least in my mind. So some examples are probably the last ones you'd use in most readings, but treat them as study.

Other times, it appears to be temporal: Cross + Stork is "things are bad, then they get better," which makes sense.

Oh, you got it already!

I'd really like to figure out some set of general principles I could apply. I'm not too keen on doing a factor analysis of twelve hundred tokens, but it's better than rote memorization. Anyone able to offer some insight?

You might find this blog post helpful. Or the Lenormand Combinations category (although not all meanings use correspond to Sylvie's).

I hope some of this is helpful.